Pumputis Wins Double on Night 2 of Georgia Tech Invite

2018 GEORGIA TECH INVITE

• November 15-17, 2018
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Meet info
• Live results
• 2018 NCAA invited times

Florida had a pair of women swim below the 2018 NCAA invited times as they won their events tonight. Freshman Vanessa Pearl completed her IM sweep, knocking close to a second from her best in 4:05.07 as she led a 1-2 finish with teammate Kelly Fertel (4:06.50). In a close 100 back race, Emma Ball reached in for the win as she out-touched Alabama freshman Rhyan White (52.43) and teammate Sherridon Dressel (52.78).

Virginia Tech’s Joelle Vereb and Georgia Tech’s Iris Wang were just off the 2018 NCAA invite times with wins in their respective events. Vereb clipped Bama’s Flora Molnar, 52.65 to 52.84, in the 100 fly. Wang used her back-half speed to edge out Auburn’s Erin Falconer (1:45.93) in the 200 free as she touched in 1:45.87.

Caio Pumputis racked up a winning double for Georgia Tech tonight. This morning was his first time under 3:50 in the 400 IM, but he blew his time away tonight in finals, knocking off another 6.5 seconds in 3:43.00. Florida’s Grant Sanders led the way through backstroke, but Pumputis kicked it in on the breast leg to take a slight lead. He outsplit Sanders down the stretch as Sanders took 2nd in 3:43.84. Both were under the 2018 NCAA invited time. Pumputis returned in the 100 breast later on, winning in a lifetime best 52.54.

Florida’s Maxime Rooney and Khader Baqlah, both SEC 200 free champions, battled in the 200 free final with Alabama’s Robert Howard (1:33.60). Baqlah broke away in the closing splits for the win in 1:33.14, while Rooney followed in 1:33.57 to top Howard by a nail. All 3 should be safe for NCAAs based on last season’s qualifying times. Rooney and Baqlah were also part of Florida’s 800 free relay (6:15.04) that won with an NCAA A cut. Baqlah led off in 1:32.91 while Rooney anchored in 1:33.14.

Howard was a member of Alabama’s 200 medley relay (1:24.51) that achieved an NCAA A cut, anchoring in 18.83. It was the Yellow Jackets, however, who won that race with an NCAA A cut time of 1:24.23. Pumputis was a part of that squad, putting up a 23.57 breast split.

Additional Event Winners:

• Women’s 200 Medley Relay: Florida, 1:37.26
• Women’s 100 Breast: Justine Macfarlane, Alabama, 1:00.28
• Women’s 800 Free Relay: Auburn, 7:08.39
• Men’s 100 Back: Rodrigo Correia, Georgia Tech, 45.78
• Men’s 100 Fly: Gus Santos, ECU, 46.25

TEAM SCORES – MEN:

1. Florida- 838.5
2. FSU- 606
3. Georgia Tech- 479.5
4. Alabama- 465
5. Virginia Tech- 408
6. Auburn- 350.5
7. UNC- 292.5
8. South Carolina- 284
9. ECU- 240

TEAM SCORES – WOMEN:

1. Florida- 854.5
2. Auburn- 602.5
3. Alabama- 446.5
4. FSU- 418.5
5. UNC- 396.5
6. South Carolina- 391.5
7. Virginia Tech- 375
8. Georgia tech- 278
9. FGCU- 208
10. ECU- 127